Power
by Tytoman
Summary: Post OOT/MM. The Triforces of Courage and Wisdom lie safely with Link and Zelda. But if Link doesn't find a bearer for the Triforce of Power, it could mean the return of Gaonondorf.
1. The Quest

Disclaimer: I don't own the legend of zelda series or any of the characters, game elements, or anything else mentioned here with the exception of a few original characters that will be appearing later. If I did, I would probably manage to make it all a lot more confusing.

Most of this was written around 3:00 a.m., but I think it turned out pretty well. If you think so too, feel free to let me know. That's what the review button is for, people!

Chapter 1: The Quest

Link brought his shield up just in time to catch his opponent's sword before stabbing out with his own. The attacker managed to block the blow, but the force drove him back a few steps. The fight paused a moment while the combatants caught their breath, and a third, green-haired figure stepped into the clearing.

"Are you two still going at it? It's nearly dark already!"

Link faced his opponent with a mocking grin. "How 'bout it? You had enough yet?"

"As if! The great Mido would never lose to you!"

Saria sighed. Link might eventually see the wisdom of returning home before the forest got too dark to navigate, but getting Mido back to the village required a different tactic. "Would the great Mido agree to a time out? It's almost dinnertime."

The mention of food provoked a long growl from Mido's stomach. He put one hand on his hips and pointed his sword dramatically at Link. "We're picking this up tomorrow, got it?" The Hylian nodded and Mido, satisfied, made his way toward the Kokiri village.

Saria almost smiled. Mido's pride had a nasty habit of drowning out his common sense, but his appetite was louder than the other two combined.

It took Link only a moment to pack away the wooden sword and shield he used for training (the real equipment he'd picked up in Termina was packed away in his house at the village). While he was busy with that, he asked the question Saria had grown used to hearing from him: "Did anything happen while I was gone?"

"There were a couple of ghoma larvae running around the shop, but we took care of them." The Kokiri girl shook her head. "Honestly, Link. If something serious had happened, someone would have gone looking for you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I'm going ahead. See you back home."

"Okay."

The girl set off among the trees, leaving Link alone with his thoughts. After his return from Termina, Link had spent some time checking in on things in Hyrule. The Gorons seemed to be getting along fine, as did the Zoras, and Hyrule Castle Town was as lively as ever. As it turned out, the place that really needed his help was his childhood home in Kokiri forest. With the Great Deku Tree gone, the Kokiri remained leaderless and had little protection from the monsters that lurked in the forest.

Saria had helped with the first problem through her tendency to look after everyone. Meanwhile, Link was dealing with the second. Any really dangerous monsters, Stalfos for example, he would handle personally. The rest, at Saria's suggestion, he dealt with by teaching the forest children self-defense. It was rewarding, and it kept him busy. But still…

"You're restless, aren't you?"

Link jumped and spun around. A tall woman wearing a tightly-fitting red outfit was standing at the edge of the clearing. Her long red hair was held back by a golden headband, and there were matching gold bangles on her wrist. Judging by her pointed ears, Link guessed her to be a Hylian.

The young hero forced himself to regain his composure. "You really shouldn't be here," he said. "The forest is dangerous, especially for adults."

The woman simply laughed. "This place holds even less danger for me than it does for you." She stepped further into the clearing. "And as we both know, that isn't very much at all. Compared to the battles you've seen, there's very little challenge to be found here, and you're beginning to tire of it. Am I wrong?"

Suspicion crept into Link's expression. "Who are you?"

"Of course, it's hardly surprising," the woman continued. "You're strength is simply too great for this place. It's only to be expected," and here she smiled, "from the one whose hand bears my sister's mark."

Link's eyes widened. Hardly anyone knew about the mark on his left hand. It was the symbol that marked him as the bearer of the Triforce of Courage. _Which came from the _Goddess_ of Courage, Farore. And _she_ was one of the three goddesses that created Hyrule. And this lady doesn't look much like Nayru…_

"You-You're Din, aren't you?" Link stammered. "The Goddess of Power!"

Din smiled. "Well done. I wondered if you'd figure it out."

"What are you doing here?"

The goddess sighed. "Well, that's a bit complicated. You may remember that Ganondorf has been imprisoned in the sacred realm?"

The boy took a deep breath to calm his nerves and nodded. "Right. The sages trapped him there after I defeated him."

"Exactly. And that seal has saved Hyrule from his reign. But while you and the princess keep my sisters' pieces of the Triforce safe, the Triforce of Power remains without a bearer. And with Ganondorf in the sacred realm, it's no longer safe to keep it there." She met Link's eyes with a serious gaze. "To be frank, we need your help. If a more suitable bearer isn't found soon, my Triforce will return to Ganondorf. And if he regains its power, he may be able to break through the sage's seal."

Link shuddered. Ganondorf had been no friend of his. "But why do you need me? It's your Triforce. Shouldn't you be the one to choose?"

Din shook her head. "My sisters and I didn't create Hyrule so that we could play puppet master. We can offer power, tools, and even advice so long as we don't get too specific. But in the end, this land's fate must be decided by its people."

Link thought about this for a while. "I guess that makes sense," he replied. "So what do I have to do?"

The goddess blinked. "You've accepted already?" The hero nodded, and Din smiled. "I can see why Farore likes you so much. Very well. Under the circumstances, I can answer three of your questions. Choose them well."

Link spent a few minutes considering his first question. It seemed to him that the first thing to do was to get himself on the right track. "What should my first step be?"

"Well chosen. Since the Triforce of Power won't be available until after Ganondorf is defeated, you'll have to return to the future. I'm afraid we can't wait for the years to catch up with you. Time is a very complicated element, and I think that only my sister, Nayru, fully understands it. Simply put, it runs in layers, and there's very little of it to waste in the timeline we goddesses inhabit. Now I gather that you discovered some unique uses for the Song of Time during your travels in Termina?" She waited for his agreement. "Good. The sacred realm has been sealed, so you cannot use the master sword to make your journey. But if you take the princess to the temple of time and have her play one of those variations, that should do the trick. Just remember to recollect the Ocarina of Time from her on the other side."

She paused. "Oh dear. That was much too specific. This is why Nayru usually makes these visits. I'll try to do better with the next two." She winked.

Link caught the wink, but decided it was best not to comment. "Okay, then. Is there anything I have to watch out for?"

Din spent a moment considering her answer. When she thought it was cryptic enough, she nodded. "The usual monsters, of course, but the main threat is the one foe that you never truly defeated."

Link frowned. "That's not very helpful."

"Thank you. I thought I did better that time. Now consider your last question carefully. You're missing something important."

_Something important… oh, right. I'm still not sure what I'm looking for_. "What should I look for in a bearer for the Triforce of Power?"

Din smiled. "That's exactly what I was hoping you would ask." Her brows furrowed in thought for a moment. "Hm. I think the best answer I can give you is a question. Bearers of the Triforce represent our interests in this world. Farore chose you, a hero who fights to defend the life that she created. Nayru's chosen is a member of the royal family, one who will uphold the laws she wrote when this world came to be. Bearing that in mind, I ask you this: What made Ganondorf capable of fulfilling _my_ intentions?

"And now, I think it's time for you to head home. There's a day of travel ahead of you tomorrow. Goodbye, hero. Remember to choose wisely." With that, the goddess disappeared in a flash of scarlet light.

Link blinked until the spots in his vision began to clear. What did she mean by Ganondorf fulfilling her 'intentions'? And once he got to the future, where should he start looking? _First things first,_ he decided. It really was getting dark. He needed to get home, rest up, and prepare for the next day. _And then…_ He almost smiled in anticipation. _I guess I'm off on another adventure._

_---_

Next chapter will probably be longer. Till then.


	2. The Librarian

This chapter was originally meant to be longer, but I'm pretty satisfied with it anyway.

Chapter 2: The Librarian

The Royal Library was one of the largest rooms in Hyrule Castle, and, because the king didn't believe in withholding knowledge, it was the only one which was regularly open to the public. Certain precautions were taken, of course. Any prospective visitors had to carry a card with them at all times, which could be demanded for inspection at any given moment. If a card got lost, or someone was found wandering too far off the beaten track, they would be forcibly escorted from the castle. Though necessary to ensure the safety of the royal family, it was a fairly harsh system, and it discouraged many of the prospective visitors.

It had never deterred Aidan, though. He'd been going for almost as long as he'd known how to read, entranced by the vast amounts of knowledge it contained. His visits became so frequent that most of the guards knew him by sight, and the head librarian, normally a very formal and reserved man, had developed a soft spot for the boy. And then he'd been offered a position as an apprentice librarian. The thought of spending every day in his favorite place had so overjoyed Aidan that there was only one answer he could give.

Three years later, navigating the colossal maze of shelves was almost second nature to him. He did it easily, pulling a cart full of newly-repaired books behind him and stopping occasionally to scan the shelves around him and put one of the heavy volumes back in place.

He did all this while reading a slightly worn text entitled _Legends of the Zora People_, closing it only when he had to climb a ladder to reach one of the higher shelves. It was a talent of his, being able to concentrate on reading while staying almost completely aware of his surroundings, and he'd had years of practice to sharpen it. Even so, it took him a moment to realize that someone behind him had giggled. He glanced over his shoulder and fumbled his book as he recognized a face known throughout the castle.

"P-Princess Zelda!" he stammered, bowing quickly. "I didn't realize-"

The princess shook her head, still laughing. "It's all right, Aidan. It's just that you always look so serious when you do that."

Aidan relaxed slightly. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"That's nice of you, but no. You look busy already. I don't want to drag you away."

"At least let me point you in the right direction."

The princess considered for a moment. "On second thought, that might be a good idea. I always seem to get lost in here."

"It _can_ get a little confusing," Aidan agreed.

She nodded, smiling. "Very true. Alright, then. I had a dream last night that I didn't understand. Can you think of anything here that might help me figure it out?"

Aidan frowned "That could be tricky. Dream interpretation's a fairly recent field, and I don't think we have much material on it."

"Oh," the princess replied, looking slightly disappointed. "Well, thank you anyway."

"Don't give up yet, Princess," Aidan said hastily. "I think I can still help. From what I know about them, dreams usually have a lot to do with symbology. If you can tell me what happened in the dream, we might be able to figure out what the symbols mean."

Zelda brightened. "You really think so?" Aidan nodded. "Okay," she continued, "but let's keep walking while I tell you about it. I wouldn't want you to get in trouble."

While Aidan continued his reshelving, Zelda went on to describe her dream. It had started out with three figures standing together: a girl, a boy, and a large man shrouded in darkness. The boy and the girl had flared into brilliant light for a moment, driving the shadowed figure away, and stood alone for some time. Then a fourth figure, this one surrounded by scarlet flame, had appeared in the distance and started to approach them, pursued by a fifth who was again cloaked in shadow, but shone brightly from within it. The dream had ended there.

"The first three I recognized," she went on to explain. "One of them was me, and the other two I've dreamt about before. But the fiery one, and the bright one cast in shadow," she shook her head. "I have no idea who they're supposed to be, and I think it's important that I find out." She suddenly glanced up behind him. "Oh. Hello, Impa."

Aidan's head whipped around, and he took a few hasty steps backwards. He'd had a few opportunities to meet the royal nursemaid before, and found her intimidating on every single one. The fact that she'd appeared behind him without any warning whatsoever didn't help matters.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, children," the Sheikah said, "but there's someone here to see you, princess. He's just arrived, and I think you'll want to see him."

Zelda's brows furrowed in thought. "Someone I'd want to see…" her eyes widened "You mean…?" Impa nodded, smiling, and Zelda squealed in excitement. "I can't believe it! It's been so long!" Then she seemed to remember Aidan. "I'm sorry to run away like this, but it looks like that research will have to wait."

Aidan placed the last book on the shelves and gave her a small smile. "Don't worry about it, princess. If you like, I can start on it now. I've got some books in mind that should be useful. I'll let you know if I find anything."

"That's great, Aidan. Thanks!" With that, she skipped off after her nursemaid, brimming with excitement.

Once they were out of sight, Aidan dropped the pretence of happiness. He sighed and turned the cart around, knowing that he would get a lecture from the head librarian unless he returned it.

Someone fell into step beside him when he turned back into the main aisle. "So you _do_ like her."

Aidan froze for an instant, and then shrugged, keeping his expression carefully neutral. "Everyone likes the princess."

"Yeah, but not like _that,_" the other boy replied, grinning.

Aidan glared. "Shut up, Cole."

The other boy held up his hands in mock surrender, but the grin never left his face. As the head librarian's grandson, Colton was almost as well-known around the castle as Aidan. They had entered their apprenticeship around the same time, and had graduated to Librarian's Assistant within days of each other. The two presented a contrast in both looks and personality; Aidan had straight brown hair with eyes to match and was known for being quiet and studious, while the more outgoing (and sometimes infuriating) Cole had blue eyes and black, curly hair. Nevertheless, he was Aidan's closest friend, which made him far less inclined to strangle the boy at the moment.

"So what are you gonna tell gramps?"

Aidan shrugged. "That I'm taking my research time early." The Head Librarian heartily approved of his younger employees getting to know the library, and as such had instituted a daily two-hour period to the pursuit of individual study. "He'll understand when I explain. I can't exactly deny a request from the royal family."

"Especially when it comes from someone so cute."

Aidan locked eyes with his friend. "By the way, it was nice of you to take over my workload while I look into this. I'll be sure to mention it to him," he said, keeping a completely straight face.

Cole's grin faltered. "You're not serious, are you?"

The real answer was no, but Cole didn't need to hear that right away. Aidan's only response was to find his place in _Legends of the Zora People_ and resume his course towards the main desk, smiling slightly at the torrent of apology pouring from his friend's mouth.

---

We'll be seeing Link again next chapter, but I hope you all enjoy this in the meantime.

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